Why you need a social media strategy (and 6 tips to get started!)

Feb 29, 2016

Today’s guest post is courtesy of the lovely Renee from Bread & Butter Consulting! Her and I have partnered together on a few projects lately, and I knew her expertise needed to be shared. We’ve worked to build beautiful websites for our clients, but your social media strategy can be a big boost for business!

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It’s not uncommon for social media to feel a bit lackluster. It can feel particularly bland when it’s not doing anything. It can even be more frustrating when you have a business to run and don’t have time to handle social media.

Do you wonder why no one likes your company’s Facebook page?

Does your Twitter content come straight from your Facebook page?

Do you feel like giving up because social media isn’t doing anything for you or your business?

If you answered “yes,” to any of the above questions, you’re not alone.

You can post content all day until your face turns blue, but it won’t do a thing if your audience isn’t engaged. Some people think a business needs social media for the sake of having it, but that is far from true.

You need a strategy. With a strategy, social media can help you accomplish your business goals. Contrary to popular belief, a social media strategy doesn’t revolve around your business, it revolves around your audience. You need a social media strategy for your audience. An engaged audience gives you credibility. With an engaged audience you can build and form relationships. The best part is when your audience turn into customers!

What you post on social media is a direct representation of your brand. Everything your audience sees should have a strategy behind it with a clear goal in mind. The goal doesn’t have to be big. A small goal of just starting a conversation is still a goal. Other common goals can include directing traffic to your website, reading a blog or buying a product.

Plus, having a strategy makes everything easier. You’ll have a clear idea of what to post and what not to post. You won’t have to sit there wondering what to publish. It gives you a clear direction that’s easy to follow. And you can customize the strategy for each social media platform!

A strategy doesn’t have to be complicated. You don’t need to create a manual or read a textbook to figure it out. The most basic way to start is by listing the goals you want your social media to accomplish. Start small and work your way up to larger goals. For example, the goal for Facebook could be directing traffic to your website.

Here’s a checklist to get you started!

Create goals that solve problems

Example: Use Facebook to direct audience to website in order to increase traffic.

Don’t: Create unrealistic goals that add no value to your business.

Be selective with your social media platforms

Example: You use Facebook and Instagram because those platforms get the most engagement.

Don’t: Be on every social media platform because others are doing it.

Involve your team

Example: You get one post per department week. So you can have content from Sales, HR, Customer Service, etc.)

Don’t: Hog your social media when other people can contribute.

Test out different types of posts

Example: Every time you post, try a different form of content. Try to post a video one day, a link, a photo and just text. Then compare the numbers for each post.

Don’t: Post the same stuff every day.

Engage with your audience

Example: You notice someone left a comment on your Instagram post so you comment back.

Don’t: Just throw stuff online and ignore your audience.

Track, tweak and move forward

Example: You notice that Twitter isn’t engaging your audience and no longer has value, so you remove the account and focus more on Facebook.

Don’t: Keep doing the same stuff every day and expect different results.

What’s your social media strategy?

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Renee is a digital marketer that helps entrepreneurs with their online presence. Her bread and butter is all things social media. She lives in Atlanta with her husband and two fur children, Poncho and Zoey. Some of her favorite things are naps, food trucks, Netflix and kickball.